PHOTOS: Hundreds gather at a B.C. City Hall after removal of Sir John A. Macdonald Statue

Hundreds of people gathered outside of Victoria’s City Hall on Saturday afternoon after the removal of a contentious statue of Sir John A. Macdonald.

There was a wide representation of people, spanning from those part of the Indigenous Solidarity Working Group, to those associated with extremist vigilante group, The Soldiers of Odin.

Repeatedly, chants of “Hey, hey, ho, ho, white supremacy’s got to go!” rang through the crowd as a megaphone was passed around.

While some people tried to shout over one another, others carried thoughtful conversations with each other.

Those in support were happy to see a the statue of a key figure in the spread of residential schools removed, while those in protest believed that there wasn’t enough discussion about the process, and that Macdonald’s role in the development of Canada was also important.

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, who did not attend the protest, was not surprised about the protest, but noted that from here on out a wider discussion would be made to the public about further steps towards reconciliation.

“One of the principles of engagement is you engage on sensitive issues with the most affected people, which we’ve been doing for the past year,” Helps said. “Now that this act has taken place, there’s room for a wider conversation… I think the City Family and council is ready to have a more robust conversation, asking how do we reconcile?”

Converstaions were had between people holding different opinions on the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald statue from Victoria City Hall’s front steps. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

Protesters and supporters gathered infront of Victoria City Hall after a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald was removed. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

People with different opinions gathered around Victoria City Hall on Saturday to protest or support the removal of the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald. While there were disagreements, many people with varying views had conversations about politics, history and race. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

Amongst the people who gathered in front of Victoria’s City Hall was an extremist vigilante group called ‘The Soldiers of Odin,’ who stood against others protesting for Indigenous rights. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

People with different opinions gathered around Victoria City Hall on Saturday to protest or support the removal of the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald. While there were disagreements, many people with varying views had conversations about politics, history and race. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

People gathered aound Victoria’s City Hall on Saturday to protest or support the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald statue. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

People gathered around Victoria’s City Hall to protest or support the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald statue. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

Many people expressed their varied opinions at a protest at Victoria’s City Hall, which started after a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald was removed. Here, the man on the left belts “Oh, Canada!” while another man tries to block him out with his own chant. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

Many people expressed their varied opinions at a protest at Victoria’s City Hall, which started after a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald was removed. Here, the man on the left belts “Oh, Canada!” after the woman on the right had jumped in and started screaming. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

People gathered aound Victoria’s City Hall on Saturday to protest or support the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald statue. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

People with different opinions gathered around Victoria City Hall on Saturday to protest or support the removal of the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald. While there were disagreements, many people with varying views had conversations about politics, history and race. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

Protesters and supporters gathered in front of Victoria City Hall after a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald was removed. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS

Phoebe Ramsay (left), Samantha, and Lucy Gunn supported the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald statue from the front steps of Victoria’s City Hall. Nicole Crescenzi/VICTORIA NEWS